Managing project information with a hand-propelled device

ABSTRACT

A hand-propelled printer/scanner is disclosed for use in updating a project document, such as any diagram, schematic, floor plan, or other document. The project document is updated with revision drawings and/or notes printed by the hand-propelled printer/scanner directly on an existing project document. The hand-propelled printer/scanner is sized for single hand use and is moved about on the project document for printing the revisions and notes. A position module provides absolute position data so that the revisions and notes are printed at the correct locations on the existing document. Use of the hand-propelled printer/scanner allows project documents to be updated on the job site, as an example.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/349,356, filed on Jan. 12, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/074,123, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,096,713,filed on Feb. 28, 2008, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/892,713, filed on Mar. 2, 2007. The entirety of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/349,356, U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/074,123, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,096,713, and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/892,713 are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of project informationmanagement, and more particularly to facilitating the communication ofinstructions, diagrams, revisions, notes, and/or other informationpertaining to a project.

2. Related Art

Many industries utilize project documents in the planning, development,building, and/or maintenance stages of systems and objects, includinghouses, buildings, facilities, devices, and many other products. Aproject document may be any diagram, schematic, floor plan, layout,specification, instruction set, or other type of document that describescomponents and/or provides dimensions, positions, connections and/orother relationships between the components that comprise the product. Aproject document is often a working document, meaning that changes madeto the product are reflected as revisions to the document. Ideally, whena project participant makes a change to the product, the projectdocument is revised and reprinted for distribution to all of the projectparticipants. Often, managing document change (i.e., ensuring that whena change is made, everyone involved receives an updated projectdocument) is vital for cost effectively completing the project.

The construction industry is an example of an industry in which managingdocument change is critical. A construction project is managed through aset of approved project documents (hereinafter “plans”). The approvedset of plans are often many pages of large sheets of paper printed by alarge format printer. Each project participant (e.g., master carpenter,master plumber, master electrician, landscaper, etc.) receives a copy ofthe set of plans.

As the project progresses, it is not unusual for a project participantto make a change to their area of the construction project and makerevisions to their own set of plans. The revisions are often made byhandwritten notations or sketches on the set of plans in theirpossession. Project participants also often annotate their respectivesets of plans with information related to the required changes to theirand/or other areas of the project, problems that were discovered,solutions implemented, and many other types of instructions and notes.Ideally, plan revisions are collected and communicated to other projectparticipants by way of issuing new sets of plans (revisions) to all ofthe project participants.

The task of tracking revision numbers and ensuring that all projectparticipants are working off the same, latest version of plans at anygiven time is often costly and can be difficult to achieve. For example,project participants may be reluctant to handover their set of plans ifthey contain annotations or other notes. Project participants may alsobe burdened with having to copy their annotations/notes from a formerset of plans to a reissued set of plans. Differences in deliverydates/times of revised plan sets to all of the different participantscan cause delays and problems that affect everyone. Also, printingmultiple revised plan sets and delivering them to the projectparticipants can be costly and a source of error. An improved approachis desirable.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The following embodiments relate to updating a project document with ahand-propelled printer (or printer/scanner combination). Thehand-propelled printer receives image data for printing project updates,including revisions and/or other information, directly on an existingproject document that may be in the possession of a project participantat any location, such as at a job site. Updating the project documentwith the hand-propelled printer not only serves to communicate theupdates to the project participant, but also allows the projectparticipant to continue to work off of the same, existing projectdocument.

In a preferred embodiment, a hand-propelled printer has a positionmodule and a processor. The position module determines position data ofthe hand-propelled printer in response to movement on a projectdocument. The position data includes the location and the orientation ofthe hand-propelled printer relative to an origin and an initialorientation. The processor receives image data corresponding to updatesto the project document and generates print data based on the image dataand the position data. The processor communicates the print data to aprint mechanism for printing updates on the project document as thehand-propelled printer is moved about the surface of the projectdocument. The updates may include revisions to elements in the projectdocument, instructions, remarks, annotations, and/or notes. Thehand-propelled printer may also have a wireless interface to communicatewith a host for receiving the image data.

In a version, the print mechanism includes a plurality of nozzlesarranged in rings around a sensor element. The ring-shaped nozzlearrangement allows the hand-propelled printer to print as it is moved inany direction on a project document. The sensor element may comprisepart of a scan head. The processor may be configured to determine areference point of the project document based on scan data received fromthe scan head.

The position module may have a movement module to generate movement datain response to movement of the hand-propelled printer. The movement dataindicates the location and the orientation of the hand-propelled printerrelative to the origin and the initial orientation. The position modulemay also have two motion sensors to communicate motion signals to themovement module in response to movement of the hand-propelled printer.In a preferred version, a position module processor receives themovement data and determines the position data. The position dataincludes location and orientation data indicative of a position of thehand-propelled printer.

The hand-propelled printer may have a housing having a length ofapproximately five inches, a width of approximately two inches, and aheight of approximately one inch.

Other systems, methods, and features of the invention will be, or willbecome, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of thefollowing figures and detailed description. It is intended that all suchadditional systems, methods, features and advantages be included withinthis description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protectedby the following claims.

The preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system that includes a version of ahand-propelled printer/scanner for use in managing project documents andinformation in accord with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the hand-propelled printer/scanner ofFIG. 1;

FIGS. 3( a) and 3(b) illustrate an example of project informationmanagement using the hand-propelled printer/scanner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows acts for managing project information in accord with anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows acts for determining the location and orientation of ahand-propelled printer/scanner with reference to an initial position asthe printer/scanner is moved;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a position module fordetermining the location and orientation of a hand-propelledprinter/scanner with reference to an initial position;

FIG. 7 is a schematic of a system that includes a version of a handheldprinting and scanning device for use in managing project documents andinformation in accord with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the handheld printing and scanningdevice of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the handheld printing and scanning deviceof FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 shows acts of a positioning operation of a handheld printing andscanning device in accord with various embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 shows acts of a printing operation implemented by the handheldprinting and scanning device of FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 shows acts of a scanning operation implemented by the handheldprinting and scanning device of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 13 illustrates a version of a computing device that implements thecontrol block of the handheld printing and scanning device of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention can be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings and description. The components in the figures are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, likereferenced numerals designate corresponding parts or elements throughoutthe different views.

The embodiments below relate to a hand-propelled printer/scanner for usein managing project information. The hand-propelled printer/scannerreceives image data from a host or other device. The image datacorresponds to revision data that relates to updates, includingrevisions and/or other information, that are to be printed directly onan existing version of a project document. The hand-propelledprinter/scanner has a position module to maintain image alignment as thehand-propelled printer/scanner is moved about the project document toprint the updates. Project document updates are thereby provided toproject participants by way of overprinting existing project documents,allowing the project participants to maintain possession and continue towork off of the existing project documents.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system 100 that includes a hand-propelleddevice 102 and a host 116 for use in managing project documents andinformation in accord with an embodiment of the invention. Thehand-propelled device 102 may be a handheld printer, a handheld scanner,or a combination handheld printer/scanner, as examples, and will bereferred to as a “device” throughout the specification.

In a preferred embodiment, the device 102 has a printer/scanner module104 having a module processor 114 for executing printing and/or scanningfunctions. The device 102 preferably includes a data bus 108, a powermodule 110, and a wireless communication module 112 to communicate witha host 116 or other device. The device 102 may also or alternativelyhave a communication port (not shown) for establishing a physicalconnection to the host 116 or other device. It is to be understood thatany data discussed hereinafter as communicated by way of the wirelesscommunication module 112 may be communicated by way of a physicalconnection with the device 102.

The device 102 is preferably handheld and hand-propelled, havingdimensions suitable for single hand movement and control. In oneversion, the dimensions of the housing of the device 102 areapproximately five inches in length, two inches in width, and one inchin height. It is to be understood that the device may be any shape orsize suitable for hand-propulsion.

If the device 102 is a hand-propelled printer or printer/scanner, thewireless communication module 112 receives image data, such as a bitmap,from the host 116 and communicates the image data to the moduleprocessor 114. The host 116 generates the image data based on revisiondata pertaining to the project document. The revision data may be anytype of information pertaining to the project. For example, the revisiondata may indicate that a doorway is to be relocated several feet fromits location shown in an existing project document. Image data isgenerated base on the revision data. In this example, the image datawould include plan elements that, when printed on the existing projectdocument, show the doorway at its updated location (preferably printedwith an ink color that is different than the ink color of the doorway asshown in its previous location). Thus, the revision data corresponds toone or more updates that are to be printed directly on an existingproject document by the device 102. The existing project document may bea previously issued plan that is currently being used in the field, asan example.

As discussed above, the update(s) may include revisions and information.A revision may indicate that a wall is to be constructed at a differentlocation than previously indicated. A revision may indicate that wiringor plumbing is to follow a route that is different than that shown inthe existing project document. In a schematic, the revision may indicatewiring changes and/or changes to components. It is to be understood thatthe revision(s) may indicate any type of change (including, but notlimited to, adding, eliminating, substituting, or relocating parts) toany type of project, system, object, or component of the project.Because the revision is printed on an existing project document, theproject participant does not have to surrender the document. Once therevision(s) are printed on the project document, it may be considered anup-to-date project document with a designated version number.

The updates may also include information such as instructions, remarks,annotations, notes, or other information (collectively “information”) tobe printed on the existing project document. The information may bebased on information or data communicated from a project participant,supplier, government entity, or other source, as examples. The computeror other programming device (such as host 116) generates image databased on the information and communicates the image data to the device102. The device 102 is used to print the information on the projectdocument as part of a revision or update. The information may be printedby the device 102 on the existing project document in the form ofhandwritten (image) or formatted, stylistic font, as examples.

Updates may be printed with the same or different colored ink and/orline style than that which already exists on a project document. Forexample, if a first plumbing route is printed in black ink, a revisedplumbing route may be printed in red ink for a first revision, in blueink for a second revision, and so on. Information may be textual orsymbolic instructions, such as for updating component specificationsand/or indicating any other changes to the project document. The textualor symbolic instructions may be printed in the same or a differentcolored ink and/or line style than that which already exists on theproject document. Preferably, a new version number is printed on theproject document as part of every update.

To print updates (i.e., revisions and/or information) on a projectdocument, the device 102 is placed on the project document. The device102 may be placed at a designated, initial location in a designated,initial orientation so that the updates are accurately aligned andpositioned with the existing document image. Alternatively, or inaddition, the device 102 may utilize a scanning function (discussedbelow) to locate an existing mark or structure on the project document.The existing mark or structure may be used by the device 102 as areference point or object for positioning and aligning the printedupdates.

As an operator moves the device 102 about the surface of the projectdocument, the updates are printed on the project document in accord withthe image data. If the project document is large, the device 102 may bemoved about the project document along different paths so that updatescan be completed over all applicable areas. The paths need not be linearor follow a predetermined pattern because the device 102 includes aposition module 106 for determining the absolute position of the printhead as it is moved in any direction to any location with respect to adesignated starting point or, alternatively, reference point. Thus, thedevice 102 selectively prints the updates at the correct locations as itis moved about the surface of the project document while it continuouslydetermines its position. The device preferably provides an audio orvisual signal to the operator when the updates have been completelyprinted on the project document.

As mentioned above, the device 102 includes a position module 106 fordetermining its location and orientation as it is moved about theproject document. The position module 106 provides location andorientation data to the module processor 114. The module processor 114determines print data based on the image data and location andorientation data received from the position module 106. The moduleprocessor 114 communicates the print data to a print mechanism as thedevice 102 is moved about the surface of the project document. The printmechanism renders the updates on the project document based on the printdata.

If the device 102 is a hand-propelled scanner or printer/scanner, notesand annotations added to a project document may be scanned into thedevice 102 and stored as image or text data. The data may becommunicated to a host 116 or other device for use in the project. Forexample, a notation made by a project participant on a project documentmay indicate a change in construction schedule, a change in parts used,a request, contact information, and/or any other type of information.The notation may be scanned into the device 102 and processed and/orcommunicated as data to a project manager and/or any other projectparticipant for possible use as revision data, for reference, and/or forrecord keeping purposes.

Annotations made by project participants on project documents may alsobe scanned in and communicated to other devices. An annotation mayindicate that wiring or plumbing is to follow a route that is differentthan that shown by the existing project document or that a wall is to beconstructed at a different location than previously indicated. In aschematic, an annotation may indicate wiring changes and/or changes tocomponents, as examples. The notes and annotations may be communicateddirectly or through the host 116 to other devices, such as personaldigital assistants (PDAs). For example, the notes and annotations may becommunicated to the host 116 for transmission via facsimile, e-mail,text message, or other mode of communicating information. The notes andannotations may be used as revision data from which image data may begenerated and communicated back to the device 102 and other devices bythe host 116. The notes and annotations may be used by an operator ofthe host 116 to program updates for printing by the device 102 as partof a revision to a project document. The notes and annotations may alsobe stored in a database for future reference or for any other purpose.For example, if numerous revisions have caused a hard copy to beillegible, a new project document may be printed (via the large formatprinter) and redistributed. The new project document would include allof the hand annotations that were previously captured and stored.

For scanning notes and annotations, the device 102 is placed on andmoved about the surface of a project document as an imaging mechanismgenerates image signals. The module processor 114 receives the imagesignals from the imaging mechanism and determines image data based onthe image signals and location and orientation data received from theposition module 106. The module processor 114 communicates the imagedata to the wireless communication module 112, which communicates theimage data to the host 116. The host 116 may be a desktop or laptopcomputer, or other device that communicates (sends/receives) image data.The wireless communication module 112 and the host 116 may comprise anetwork such as a wireless local area network (WLAN), as an example.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an embodiment of the printing/scanning side(underside) 202 of a hand-propelled printer/scanner device (“device”)200. The device 200 has two motion sensors 206(a) and 206(b) and animaging mechanism 204. The imaging mechanism 204 includes a print head208 and a scan head 210. The print head 208 is circular having aplurality of nozzles for dispensing ink. Because the print head iscircular, ink may be deposited by the device 200 as it is moved in anydirection. In one version, the print head 208 deposits ink along aone-third inch wide print path as the device is moved. In otherversions, the print path may be greater or less than one-third inch. Asthe device 200 is moved about the project document, the motion sensors206(a) and 206(b) generate motion signals for determining the absoluteposition of the print head 208 or scan head 210. This aspect of thedevice 200 is discussed in greater detail below with reference to theposition module 106.

FIGS. 3( a) and 3(b) illustrate an example of project informationmanagement using a hand-propelled printer/scanner. FIG. 3( a) shows aninitial version of a project document 300. The project document 300includes a legend 304 that indicates that walls are represented by solidlines and that electrical wiring is represented by dashed lines. Fourwalls 306, 308, 310, and 312 are shown. Electrical wiring 314 runsthrough about half of the length of wall 312. The project document 300also includes a handwritten note 316 to use 25 mm drywall. Ahand-propelled printer/scanner, such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, may beused to scan the note 316 to generate image data. The image data of thenote 316 may be communicated to project participants and/or a host orother device for use as project information. The image data may also bestored in a main project tracking database for future reference andproject documentation.

FIG. 3( b) shows the same copy of the project document 300 shown in FIG.3( a), with revisions added by a hand-propelled printer. Because thehand-propelled printer adds updates to an existing project document,everything that is shown in FIG. 3( a) is shown in FIG. 3( b). However,FIG. 3( b) also shows the updates (in this example revisions are shown)added by the hand-propelled printer. The revisions show that wall 312has been relocated and resized to wall 320; electrical wiring 322 hasbeen moved and resized accordingly; and wall 310 has been moved andresized to wall 324. The revisions may be printed in the same ordifferent colored ink/line style as the initial walls and electricalwiring.

FIG. 4 shows acts (400) for managing project information in accord withan embodiment of the invention. A project document is printed (Act 402).Revisions are communicated to a host or other device configured tocommunicate image data to a hand-propelled printer (Act 404). Therevisions may include drawing and/or instruction additions and/orchanges, or any other type of update discussed above. The host/devicecommunicates the revisions, as image data, to the hand-propelled printer(Act 406). The host device may communicate the revisions wirelessly orby physical connection to the hand-propelled printer. The hand-propelledprinter is placed on the project document and moved about to print therevisions directly on the project document (Act 408). The hand-propelledprinter prints the revisions based on image and positioning data.

FIG. 5 shows acts 500 for determining the position of a device, such asa hand-propelled printer and/or scanner, with reference to an initialposition as the device is moved about on a project document. Theposition of the device is defined by the device's location andorientation. The location of the device may be represented by any pointdefined within or on the device, such as a center-point or by an area ofthe device such as a print head or scan head. The orientation of thedevice is defined as an angle relative to an initial device orientation.

In one embodiment, the device is set at a position that is designatedthe initial position or “origin” of the device. The origin includes aninitial location and initial orientation of the device on the projectdocument before the device is moved (Act 502). The act of designating aninitial location and an initial orientation of the device may bereferred to as “zeroing the origin.” The initial location and initialorientation may be defined within any two or three dimensionalcoordinate system. In one implementation, the device is set at thetop-left corner of the project document, with the top edge of the devicealigned with the top edge of the project document and the left edge ofthe device aligned with the left edge of the project document.

As the device is moved, movement data is generated to track locationchanges and orientation changes of the device (Act 504). The movementdata may be generated by any component, module, or any mechanism thatgenerates data indicative of movement.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a position module 600 that generatesmovement data. The position module 600 includes a movement module 602and a processor 608. The movement module 602 includes two motion sensors604 and 606. The motion sensors 604, 606 may be optical motion sensorssuch as light-emitting diode (LED) and complementary medal-oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) sensor pairs. Each CMOS sensor captures hundreds ofimages per second as is moves. The movement module 602 includes amovement module processor 610 to receive the images from the motionsensors 604, 606. The movement module processor 610 detects patterns ineach image and compares the patterns in successive images to determinemovement direction and distance of each CMOS sensor. In alternateversions, the motion sensors 604, 606 may be track-ball motion sensors,laser motion sensors, inertial motion sensors, or other type of motionsensors that generate movement signals. The movement module processor610 may be any hardware, software, or firmware based processor.

Direction and distance data is generated for both motion sensors 604,606 as the device moves. For example, as motion sensor 604 moves frompoint A to point B and motion sensor 606 moves from point M to point N,direction and distance data is generated by the movement module 602 foreach sensor 604, 606. The location of motion sensor 604 with respect topoint A and the location of motion sensor 606 with respect to point M isdetermined by the movement module 602 based on the direction anddistance data generated for each respective sensor 604, 606. When motionsensor 604 next moves from point B to point C, the movement module 602determines the location of motion sensor 204 with respect to point B.Likewise, when motion sensor 606 moves from point N to point O, themovement module 602 determines the location of motion sensor 606 withrespect to point N. The movement module 602 generates movement dataindicative of the movement of each motion sensor 604, 606 frompoint-to-point and communicates the movement data to the processor 608.

The processor 608 determines the position of the device with respect tothe origin (the initial location and initial orientation of the device)by cumulating the movement data received from the movement module 602(Act 506). The position of the device determined by the processor 608includes both the location and orientation of the device with respect tothe origin and may be referred to as the “absolute position” of thedevice.

The location of the device (or any point, line, or area of the device)is determined by cumulating the movement data, starting from the origin.The orientation of the device is defined as an angle between two lines:the first line is defined by the locations of the two motion sensorswhen the device is at the origin; the second line is defined by thelocations of the two motion sensors when the device is at its respectivelocation. As movement data continues to be received from the movementmodule 602 as the device moves, the processor 608 continues to updatethe absolute position of the device. The absolute position of the devicemay be communicated as location and orientation data to a deviceprocessor for use in printing an image or text on the project documentor for generating scan data from an image scanned from the projectdocument (Act 508).

FIG. 7 is a schematic of a system 700 that includes a handheld printingand scanning device 704, hereinafter “printing device” 704, for use inmanaging project documents and information in accord with embodiments ofthe invention. The printing device 704 includes a control block 708having components designed to facilitate precise and accuratepositioning of a print head 712 throughout an entire printing and/orscanning operation to a project document. The use of positioning dataprovides for reliable image production, through printing, and imageacquisition, through scanning, with a mobile and versatilehand-propelled printing device 704.

The control block 708 has a communication interface 716 configured tocommunicatively couple the control block 708 to other devices 720, whichmay include an image source 724. The image source 724 may be any type ofdevice capable of transmitting data related to an image or text to beprinted. The image source 724 may include a general purpose computingdevice, e.g., a desktop computing device, a laptop computing device, amobile computing device, a personal digital assistant, a cellular phone,etc. or it may be a removable storage device, e.g., a flash memory datastorage device, designed to store data such as image data. If the imagesource 724 is a removable storage device, e.g., a universal serial bus(USB) storage device, the communication interface may include a port,e.g., USB port, designed to receive the storage device.

The communication interface 716 may include a wireless transceiver toallow the communicative coupling with the image source 724 to take placeover a wireless link. The image data may be wirelessly transmitted overthe link through the modulation of electromagnetic waves withfrequencies in the radio, infrared or microwave spectrums.

A wireless link may contribute to the mobility and versatility of theprinting device 704. However, the printing device 704 mayadditionally/alternatively include a wired link communicatively couplingone or more of the other devices 720 to the communication interface 716.

In some versions of the printing device 704, the communication interface716 communicates with the other devices 720 through one or more wiredand/or wireless networks including, but not limited to, personal areanetworks, local area networks, wide area networks, metropolitan areanetworks, etc. The data transmission may be done in a manner compatiblewith any of a number of standards and/or specifications including, butnot limited to, 802.11, 802.16, Bluetooth®, Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), code-division multiple access (CDMA), Ethernet,etc.

The communication interface 716 transmits the received image data to anon-board image processing module 728. The image processing module 728processes the received image data in a manner to facilitate an upcomingprinting process. Image processing techniques may include dithering,decompression, half-toning, color plane separation, and/or imagestorage. In various embodiments some or all of these image processingoperations may be performed by the image source 724 or another device.The processed image may then be transmitted to a print module 732 whereit is cached in anticipation of a print operation.

The print module 732 may also receive positioning information,indicative of a position of the print head 712 relative to a referencepoint, from a positioning module 734. The positioning module 734 may becommunicatively coupled to one or more navigation sensors 738. Thenavigation sensors 738 may include a light source, e.g., LED, a laser,etc., and an optoelectronic sensor designed to take a series of picturesof a print medium adjacent to the printing device 704 as the printingdevice 104 is moved over the print medium (i.e., project document). Thepositioning module 734 processes the pictures provided by the navigationsensors 738 to detect structural variations of the print medium. Themovement of the structural variations in successive pictures indicatesmotion of the printing device 704 relative to the medium. The precisepositioning of the navigation sensors 738 can be determined by trackingthe movement of the structural variations. The navigation sensors 738may be maintained in a structurally rigid relationship with the printhead 712, thereby allowing for the calculation of the precise locationof the print head 712.

The print medium, as used in embodiments herein, may be any type ofmedium on which a printing substance, e.g., ink, powder, etc., may bedeposited. It is not limited to printed paper or other thin, flexibleprint media commonly associated with traditional printing devices.

The navigation sensors 738 have operating characteristics for trackingmovement of the printing device 704 within a desired degree ofprecision. In one example, the navigation sensors 738 processapproximately 1500 frames per second, with each frame including arectangular array of 18×18 pixels. Each pixel detects a six-bitgrayscale value, e.g., capable of sensing 64 different levels of gray.

The print module 732 receives the positioning information andcoordinates the location of the print head 712 to a portion of theprocessed image and a corresponding location on the print medium. Theprint module 732 controls the print head 712 to deposit a printingsubstance on the print medium to render the corresponding portion of theprocessed image.

The print head 712 may be an inkjet print head having a plurality ofnozzles designed to emit liquid ink droplets. The ink, which may becontained in reservoirs/cartridges, may be black and/or any of a numberof various colors. A common, full-color inkjet print head may havenozzles for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink. Other embodiments mayutilize other printing techniques, e.g., toner-based printers such aslaser or light-emitting diode (LED) printers, solid ink printers,dye-sublimation printers, inkless printers, etc.

The control block 708 may also include an image capture module 742. Theimage capture module 742 is communicatively coupled to one or moreoptical imaging sensors 746. The optical imaging sensors 746 may includea number of individual sensor elements. The optical imaging sensors 746may be designed to capture a plurality of surface images of the printmedium, which may be individually referred to as component surfaceimages. The image capture module 742 generates a composite image bystitching together the component surface images. The image capturemodule 742 receives positioning information from the positioning module734 to facilitate the arrangement of the component surface images intothe composite image.

In an embodiment in which the printing device 704 is capable of scanningfull color images, the optical imaging sensors 746 have sensor elementscapable of scanning different colors.

A composite image acquired by the printing device 704 may be transmittedto one or more of the other devices 720 by, e.g., e-mail, fax, filetransfer protocols, etc. The composite image may beadditionally/alternatively stored locally by the printing device 704 forsubsequent review, transmittal, printing, etc.

In addition (or as an alternative) to composite image acquisition, theimage capture module 742 may be utilized for calibrating the positioningmodule 734. In various embodiments, the component surface images(whether individually, some group, or collectively as the compositeimage) may be compared to the processed print image rendered by theimage processing module 728 to detect accumulated positioning errorsand/or to reorient the positioning module 734 in the event thepositioning module 734 loses track of its reference point. This mayoccur, for example, if the printing device 704 is lifted off the printmedium during a print operation.

The printing device 704 may include a power supply 750 coupled to thecontrol block 708. The power supply 750 may be a mobile power supply,e.g., a battery, a rechargeable battery, a solar power source, etc. Inother embodiments the power supply 750 may additionally/alternativelyregulate power provided by another component (e.g., one of the otherdevices 720, a power cord coupled to an alternating current (AC) outlet,etc.).

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the printing device 704 of FIG. 7. Theprinting device 704 includes two navigation sensors 738, a plurality ofoptical imaging sensors 746, and a print head 712.

As discussed above, the navigation sensors 738 communicate image data tothe positioning module 734, which determines positioning informationrelated to the optical imaging sensors 746 and/or the print head 712. Asstated above, the proximal relationship of the optical imaging sensors746 and/or print head 712 to the navigation sensors 738 may be fixed tofacilitate the positioning of the optical imaging sensors 746 and/orprint head 712 through information obtained by the navigation sensors738.

The print head 712 may be an inkjet print head having a number of nozzlerows for different colored inks In particular, and as shown in FIG. 8,the print head 712 may have a nozzle row 802 c for cyan-colored ink, anozzle row 802 m for magenta-colored ink, a nozzle row 802 y foryellow-colored ink, and nozzle row 802 k for black-colored ink. Thenozzle rows of the print head 712 may be arranged around the opticalimaging sensors 746. This may allow for the optical imaging sensors 746to capture information about the ink deposited on the print medium,which represents the processed image in various formative stages, forthe predominant side-to-side motion of the printing device 704.

In various embodiments the placement of the nozzles of the print head712 and the sensor elements of the optical imaging sensors 746 may befurther configured to account for the unpredictable nature of movementof the hand-propelled printing device 704. For example, while thenozzles and sensor elements are arranged in linear arrays in theprinting device 704 other embodiments may arrange the nozzles and/orsensor elements in other patterns. In some embodiments, the nozzles maybe arranged completely around the sensor elements so that whichever waythe printing device 704 is moved the optical imaging sensors 746 willcapture component images reflecting deposited ink. In some embodiments,the nozzles may be arranged in rings around the sensor elements (e.g.,concentric circles, nested rectangular patterns, etc.).

While the nozzle rows 802 c, 802 m, 802 y, and 802 k shown in FIG. 8 arearranged in rows according to their color, other embodiments mayintermix the different colored nozzles in a manner that may increase thechances that an adequate amount of appropriate colored ink is depositedon the print medium through the natural course of movement of theprinting device 704 over the print medium.

In the embodiment depicted by FIG. 8, the linear dimension of theoptical imaging sensors 746 may be similar to the linear dimension ofthe nozzle rows of the print head 712. The linear dimensions may referto the dimensions along the major axis of the particular component,e.g., the vertical axis of the optical imaging sensors 746 as shown inFIG. 8. Having similar linear dimensions may provide that roughly thesame amount of passes over a print medium are required for a completescan and print operation. Furthermore, having similar dimensions mayalso facilitate the positioning calibration as a component surface imagecaptured by the optical imaging sensors 746 may correspond to depositsfrom an entire nozzle row of the print head 712.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the printing device 704 of FIG. 7. Theprinting device 704 may have a variety of user input/outputs to providethe functionality enabled through use of the printing device 704. Someexamples of input/outputs that may be used to provide some of the basicfunctions of the printing device 704 include, but are not limited to, aprint control input 904 to initiate/resume a print operation, a scancontrol input 308 to initiate/resume a scan operation, and a display912.

The display 912, which may be a passive display, an interactive display,etc., may provide the user with a variety of information. Theinformation may relate to the current operating status of the printingdevice 704 (e.g., printing, ready to print, scanning, ready to scan,receiving print image, transmitting print image, transmitting scanimage, etc.), power of the battery, errors (e.g.,scanning/positioning/printing error, etc.), instructions (e.g.,“position device over a printed portion of the image for reorientation,”etc.). If the display 912 is an interactive display it may provide acontrol interface in addition to, or as an alternative from, the controlinputs 904 and 908.

FIG. 10 shows acts 1000 of a positioning operation of the printingdevice 704 in accordance with various embodiments of the presentinvention. A positioning operation may begin with an initiation of ascanning or a printing operation, e.g., by activation of the printcontrol input 904 or the scan control input 908 (Act 1004). Thepositioning module 734 within the printing device 704 may set areference point (Act 1008). The reference point may be set when theprinting device 704 is placed onto a print medium at the beginning of aprint or scan job. This may be ensured by the user being instructed toactivate the control input once the printing device 704 is in placeand/or by the proper placement of the printing device 704 being treatedas a condition precedent to instituting the positioning operation. Insome embodiments the proper placement of the printing device 704 may beautomatically determined through the navigation sensors 738, the opticalimaging sensors 746, and/or some other sensors (e.g., a proximitysensor).

Once the reference point is set, the positioning module 734 determinespositioning information, e.g., translational and/or rotational changesfrom the reference point, using the navigation sensors 738 (Act 1012).The translational changes may be determined by tracking incrementalchanges of the positions of the navigation sensors along atwo-dimensional coordinate system, e.g., Δx and Δy. Rotational changesmay be determined by tracking incremental changes in the angle of theprinting device with respect to either the x-axis or the y-axis. Thesetransitional and/or rotational changes may be determined by thepositioning module 734 comparing consecutive navigational images takenby the navigation sensors 738 to detect these movements.

The positioning module 734 may also receive component surface imagesfrom the optical imaging sensors 746 and processed image data from theimage processing module (Act 1016). If the positioning information isaccurate, a particular component surface image from a given locationshould match a corresponding portion of the processed image. If thegiven location is one in which the print head 712 has depositedsomething less than the target print volume for the location, thecorresponding portion of the processed image may be adjusted to accountfor the actual deposited volume for comparison to the component surfaceimage. In the event that the print head 712 has yet to deposit anymaterial in the given location, the positioning information may not beverified through this method. However, the verification of thepositioning information may be done frequently enough given the constantmovement of the printing device 704 and the physical arrangement of thenozzle rows of the print head 712 in relation to the optical imagingsensors 746.

If the particular component surface image from the given location doesnot match the corresponding portion of the processed image, thepositioning module 734 may correct the determined positioninginformation (Act 1020). Given adequate information, e.g., sufficientmaterial deposited in the location captured by the component surfaceimage, the positioning module 734 may set the positioning information tothe offset of the portion of the processed image that matches thecomponent surface image. In most cases this may be an identified patternin close proximity to the location identified by the incorrectpositioning information. In the event that the pattern captured by thecomponent surface image does not identify a pattern unique to the regionsurrounding the incorrect positioning information, multiple componentsurface images may be combined in an attempt to identify a uniquepattern. Alternatively, correction may be postponed until a componentsurface image is captured that does identify a pattern unique to thesurrounding region.

In some embodiments, correction of the determined positioninginformation may be done periodically in order to avoid overburdening thecomputational resources of the positioning module 734.

Following correction, the positioning module 734 determines whether thepositioning operation is complete (Act 1024). If it is determined thatthe positioning operation is not yet complete, the operation loops back(to Act 1012). If it is determined that it is the end of the positioningoperation, the operation ends (Act 1028). The end of the positioningoperation may be tied to the end of the printing/scanning operation,which will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, respectively.

FIG. 11 shows acts 1100 of a printing operation of the printing device704 in accord with various embodiments of the present invention. Theprinting operation may begins (Act 1104) and the print module 732receives a processed image from the image processing module 728 (Act1108). Upon receipt of the processed image, the display 912 indicatesthat the printing device 704 is ready for printing (Act 1112).

The print module 732 receives a print command generated from a useractivating the print control input 904 (Act 1116). The print module 732receives positioning information from the positioning module 734 (Act1120). The print module 732 determines whether to deposit printingsubstance at the given position (Act 1124). The determination as towhether to deposit printing substance may be a function of the totaldrop volume for a given location and the amount of volume that has beenpreviously deposited.

If it is determined that no additional printing substance is to bedeposited, the operation may advance to determine whether the end of theprint operation has been reached (Act 1128). If it is determined thatadditional printing substance is to be deposited, the print module 732causes an appropriate amount of printing substance to be deposited bygenerating and transmitting control signals to the print head 712 thatcause the nozzles to drop the printing substance (Act 1132).

The determination of whether the end of the printing operation has beenreached may be a function of the printed volume versus the total printvolume. In some embodiments the end of the printing operation may bereached even if the printed volume is less than the total print volume.For example, an embodiment may consider the end of the printingoperation to occur when the printed volume is ninety-five percent of thetotal print volume. However, it may be that the distribution of theremaining volume is also considered in the end of print analysis. Forexample, if the five percent remaining volume is distributed over arelatively small area, the printing operation may not be considered tobe completed.

In some embodiments, an end of print job may be established by a usermanually cancelling the operation.

If it is determined that the printing operation has been completed, theprinting operation ends (Act 1136).

If it is determined that the printing operation has not been completed,the printing operation loops back (to Act 1120).

FIG. 12 shows acts 1200 of a scanning operation of the printing device704 for use in managing project documents and information in accord withan embodiment of the invention. The scanning operation begins with thereceipt of a scan command generated from a user activating the scancontrol input 908 (Act 1204).

The image capture module 742 controls the optical imaging sensors 746 tocapture one or more component images (Act 1208). In some embodiments,the scan operation will only commence when the printing device 704 isplaced on a print medium. This may be ensured by manners similar tothose discussed above with respect to the printing operation, e.g., byinstructing the user to initiate scanning operation only when theprinting device 704 is in place and/or automatically determining thatthe printing device 704 is in place.

The image capture module may receive positioning information from thepositioning module (Act 1212) and add the component images to thecomposite image (Act 1216). The image capture module determines whetherthe scanning operation is complete (Act 1220).

The end of the scanning operation may be determined through a usermanually cancelling the operation and/or through an automaticdetermination. In some embodiments, an automatic determination of theend of print job may occur when all interior locations of a predefinedimage border have been scanned. The predefined image border may bedetermined by a user providing the dimensions of the image to be scannedor by tracing the border with the printing device 704 early in thescanning sequence.

If it is determined that the scanning operation has been completed, thescanning operation ends (Act 1224).

If it is determined that the scanning operation has not been completed,the scanning operation loops back (to Act 1208).

FIG. 13 illustrates a version of a computing device 1300 implementing acontrol block, e.g., control block 708. Computing device 1300 includesone or more processors 1304, memory 1308, and bus 1312, coupled to eachother as shown. Additionally, computing device 1300 includes storage1316, and one or more input/output interfaces 1320 coupled to eachother, and the earlier described elements as shown. The components ofthe computing device 1300 may be designed to provide the printing,scanning, and/or positioning functions of a control block of a printingdevice as described herein.

Memory 1308 and storage 1316 may include, in particular, temporal andpersistent copies of code 1324 and data 1328, respectively. The code1324 may include instructions that when accessed by the processors 1304result in the computing device 1300 performing operations as describedin conjunction with various modules of the control block in accordancewith embodiments of this invention. The processing data 1328 may includedata to be acted upon by the instructions of the code 1324. Inparticular, the accessing of the code 1324 and data 1328 by theprocessors 1304 may facilitate printing, scanning, and/or positioningoperations as described herein.

The processors 1304 may include one or more single-core processors,multiple-core processors, controllers, application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), etc.

The memory 1308 may include random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM(DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), dual-data rate RAM(DDRRAM), etc.

The storage 1316 may include integrated and/or peripheral storagedevices, such as, but not limited to, disks and associated drives (e.g.,magnetic, optical), USB storage devices and associated ports, flashmemory, read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile semiconductor devices, etc.Storage 1316 may be a storage resource physically part of the computingdevice 1300 or it may be accessible by, but not necessarily a part of,the computing device 1300. For example, the storage 1316 may be accessedby the computing device 1300 over a network.

The I/O interfaces 1320 may include interfaces designed to communicatewith peripheral hardware, e.g., print head 712, navigation sensors 738,optical imaging sensors 746, etc., and/or remote devices, e.g., otherdevices 720.

In various embodiments, computing device 1300 may have more or lesselements and/or different architectures.

All of the discussion above, regardless of the particular implementationbeing described, is exemplary in nature, rather than limiting. Althoughspecific components of the devices are described, methods, systems, andarticles of manufacture consistent with the devices (e.g., 102 and 700)may include additional or different components. For example, componentsof the devices 102 and 700, host 116, and image source 720 may beimplemented by one or more of: control logic, hardware, amicroprocessor, microcontroller, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), discrete logic, or a combination of circuits and/or logic.Further, although selected aspects, features, or components of theimplementations are depicted as hardware or software, all or part of thesystems and methods consistent with the devices 102 and 700, host 116,and image source 720 may be stored on, distributed across, or read frommachine-readable media, for example, secondary storage devices such ashard disks, floppy disks, and CD-ROMs; a signal received from a network;or other forms of ROM or RAM either currently known or later developed.Any act or combination of acts may be stored as instructions in computerreadable storage medium. Memories may be DRAM, SRAM, Flash or any othertype of memory. Programs may be parts of a single program, separateprograms, or distributed across several memories and processors.

The processing capability of the system may be distributed amongmultiple system components, such as among multiple processors andmemories, optionally including multiple distributed processing systems.Parameters, databases, and other data structures may be separatelystored and managed, may be incorporated into a single memory ordatabase, may be logically and physically organized in many differentways, and may implemented in many ways, including data structures suchas linked lists, hash tables, or implicit storage mechanisms. Programsand rule sets may be parts of a single program or rule set, separateprograms or rule sets, or distributed across several memories andprocessors.

It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be understood asan illustration of selected forms that the invention can take and not asa definition of the invention. It is only the following claims,including all equivalents, that are intended to define the scope of thisinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A processor configured to: receive update datacorresponding to an updated document; receive position data from aposition module in response to detecting movement of a printer, whereinthe position data includes a location and an orientation of the printerin relation to a copy of the document that has not been updated;determine whether the printer is located at a correct updating positionon the copy of the document based on the position data and the updatedata; and selectively generate a command to print updates on the copy ofthe document according to the update data when the printer is determinedto be located at the correct updating position on the copy of thedocument.
 2. The processor of claim 1, wherein the update data isgenerated by another printer processor based on a scanned image of theupdated document that includes updates to be printed on the copy of thedocument.
 3. The processor of claim 1, wherein the printer processor isfurther configured to: selectively generate a command to print updateson the copy of the document in a color that is different from acorresponding object on the copy of the document that is being updatedaccording to the update data.
 4. The processor of claim 1, wherein theprinter processor is further configured to generate a command to outputa signal when all updates according to the update data have been printedon the copy of the document.
 5. The processor of claim 4, wherein thesignal is an audio signal or a visual signal.
 6. The processor of claim1, wherein the printer processor is further configured to: receiveadditional update data obtained from the copy of the document, andtransmit the update data and the additional update data to anotherprinter.
 7. The printer of claim 1, further comprising: a scannerconfigured to scan the copy of the document, wherein the scanned copy ofthe document includes additional updates.
 8. The printer of claim 7,wherein the processor is further configured to: identify the additionalupdates from the scanned copy of the document, and generate a commandfor controlling the communications module to transmit the update dataand the additional update data to another printer.
 9. The printer ofclaim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to: identify theadditional updates from the scanned copy of the document, and generate acommand for controlling the communications module to transmit the updatedata and the additional update data to an external host.
 10. A methodcomprising: receiving update data corresponding to an updated document;receiving position data from a position module in response to detectingmovement of a printer, wherein the position data includes a location andan orientation of the printer in relation to a copy of the document thathas not been updated; determining whether the printer is located at acorrect updating position on the copy of the document based on theposition data and the update data; and selectively generating a commandto print updates on the copy of the document according to the updatedata when the printer is determined to be located at the correctupdating position on the copy of the document.
 11. The method of claim10, wherein the update data is generated by another printer processorbased on a scanned image of the updated document that includes updatesto be printed on the copy of the document.
 12. The method of claim 10,further comprising: selectively generating a command to print updates onthe copy of the document in a color that is different from acorresponding object on the copy of the document that is being updatedaccording to the update data.
 13. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: generating a command to output a signal when all updatesaccording to the update data have been printed on the copy of thedocument.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the signal is an audiosignal or a visual signal.
 15. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: scanning an additional update made on the copy of thedocument, receiving additional update data obtained from the copy of thedocument, and transmitting the update data and the additional updatedata to another printer.
 16. A printer, comprising: a communicationsmodule configured to receive update data corresponding to an updateddocument; a position module configured to determine position data of theprinter in response to detecting movement of the printer, wherein theposition data includes a location and an orientation of the printer inrelation to a copy of the document that has not been updated; and aprocessor configured to: determine whether the printer is located at acorrect updating position on the copy of the document based on theposition data and the update data, selectively generate a command toprint updates on the copy of the document according to the update datawhen the printer is determined to be located at the correct updatingposition on the copy of the document.
 17. The printer of claim 16,wherein the update data is generated by another printer based on ascanned image of the updated document that includes updates to beprinted on the copy of the document.
 18. The printer of claim 16,wherein the processor is further configured to: selectively generate acommand to print updates on the copy of the document in a color that isdifferent from a corresponding object on the copy of the document thatis being updated according to the update data.
 19. The printer of claim16, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a command tooutput a signal when all updates according to the update data have beenprinted on the copy of the document.
 20. The printer of claim 19,wherein the signal is an audio signal or a visual signal.